Ice Wasn't the Only Cold Item Marly Noticed

MARLY SILVERMAN

After my speech at the "Ultimate Day of Balance" in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 2004, I met a highly energetic member of the audience, Mary Silverman. Marly signed up for my free monthly newsletter, "Winning Words and Ways," which you can do by visiting my Web site and entering your name and E-mail address in the slots provided on the home page.
http://www.ChampionshipCommunication.com

Marly and I exchange E-mails regularly, as she keeps me informed about her nonprofit organization, P.A.N.D.O.R.A, described in the organization's Web site:
http://www.pandoranet.info

In a recent E-mail, here's what Marly reported about horrible customer service she experienced:

I have to say that since I began reading your newsletters and insight, I can't help myself but resort to evaluating sales personnel and services when I go to Walgreens, CVS, Wal-Mart, Staples, Macy's, Office Depot, Kinko's, etc.

Yesterday we had a refrigerator crisis, and I had to buy several bags of ice. I went to a neighborhood gas station and I said, "I need to buy a couple of ice bags."

Then I realized that it would not be enough for the cooler I had. So I began to pick up more bags.

There was one gentleman and one young girl there. They saw me doing more than one trip. . .and they never offered me a hand to help me and never followed up with "I see you decided to buy more, can we help you?"

Instead, when I finally got ready to pay for the ice bags, the gentleman (misnomer perhaps) said, "If you had told us that you needed more than two bags I would have given you the bigger pack. Now I have to open those packs again and replace what I had in there."

I looked at him and at her with some grin on my face and I said, "I am so sorry that by being your customer I am also making you work extra hard. This is a service station, isn't it? Next time I will go the gas station across the street where perhaps as a customer I will be sincerely appreciated."

The man's mouth dropped, the young girl tried to tell me that the word "couple" meant only two, and by that time I just paid them for the ice, as she told me "Have a nice day, and I hope you come back real soon."

I smiled back and I said, "It will be awhile before I come back here."


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